How Do I Know When I Am Done "processing" With Emdr?

[Agatha]

Zoie33 it sounds like you're going through the mill with this. Do you have any other 'tools' you can use at the moment to keep you grounded? Eg Mindfulness, safe place visualisation? I know different things work for different people; and different things work at different times.
I agree honesty and truthfulness is SOOO important. Maybe it's worth explaining this to your therapist, not so they can speed things up, but so you have a clearer idea of the whole picture. Certainly wading through all the emotional stuff can feel like standing in a hailstorm so it would be nice to know that you can look forward to some sunshine...

 

[zoie33]

Agatha, yes I have a safe place and i work on mindfulness and breathing exercises. He is on vacation this week so I see him again this Tuesday I plan on talking about a lot of stuff including my questions again on EMDR probably will not do EMDR again until Friday. I hate when he always ask me at the end of each session so how was that for you today...is there anything youvwant to take away from todays session. I always say I have no effing idea no. I want to say it was pure torture how do you think it was for me. I'll probably say that to him this week. He has explained that because of all of my crap it's going to take longer but it just seems so frustrating because I have so much crap to to go through. I don't think there will ever be a light at the end of tunnel. I hate EMDR.

 

[Agatha]

I want to say it was pure torture

zoie33 - I think that if you want to say this then you SHOULD say it. Honesty has got to be the best idea. I'm glad to hear you have other ways of keeping yourself grounded and that you have some space before your next session. I too find it really squirm inducing when T says 'how did you find that today'...grrrr. Wonderful ...I'm skipping and hopping through green pastures like a little spring lamb - yay!!! NOT!!!!

 

[zoie33]

I just wanted to update. I had an EMDR session today. I asked my T so when does it end and he said basically whem i either come back with nothing or I start saying stuff like it's over I know it happened but I don't feel anything, or I don't feel that way anymore etc. He said at that point is when we start adding the positive stuff. It didn't help that I dissociated today during EMDR so I came up with nothing but for the wrong reason so I guess we do it again on Friday. I do feel we may be getting to the end of this one memory pretty soon or at least the end of the processing part as long as I can stay present in the room.

 

[Agatha]

@zoie33 - disassociating is pants isn't it? However I wonder if you would ever have imagined that you might be saying one day 'I'm coming to the end of one memory'.
I definitely had a breakthrough this week. During my intense dreams, which often have repetition in the them, I actually asked someone to help me (in the dream that is!). Even though it's just a dream this felt like a huge step forward that I didn't see myself as having to deal with things on my own. Even being on this forum helps me feel not on my own in this so thankyou for your input :-)